1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an outdoor cooking apparatus in the form of a pot, liner and drip rack. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved cooking pot apparatus that includes a pot, a liner that fits the pot and a drip rack that can be placed in between the top of the pot and the liner. When the liner is lifted vertically from the pot, it can be placed on the drip rack, and any liquid contained in or on food within the liner drips back into the pot.
2. General Background of the Invention
Outdoor cooking devices that include a gas (eg. butane or a propane) fueled burner and a large cooking pot have been sold for many years that utilize a perforated liner. Such pots have been in use for decades wherein the pot is of a heavy aluminum, stainless steel or cast iron construction with a volume of about 20-100 quarts. The liner is typically in the form of a perforated basket having a bail for lifting and handling the liner. Liners are typically manufactured of stainless steel, aluminum, steel, or the like.
One of the most popular liners is a cylindrically shaped liner that has a perforated bottom and a perforated cylindrical side wall. Small feet on the bottom are provided to space the liner a short distance from the bottom of the pot.
The burner nozzle can be a cast iron hot water heater type burner nozzle or a jet burner arrangement that uses a single outlet centered in a cylindrically-shaped, vertically oriented metallic tube. The most common version of the prior art "jet burner" arrangement is seen in Metal Fusion's catalog as Model No. 90PK. Another version of this type of cooker includes two spaced apart circular rings connected with struts and having a cylindrically-shaped wind guard or shroud. This type of prior art burner can be seen for example as Metal Fusion Model Nos. 82PK, 83PK, 85PK, 86PK, and 86PKJ.
Examples of these prior art type outdoor cooking devices can be seen in the 1997 and 1998 brochures of Metal Fusion, Inc., of Jefferson, La.
For cooking some food items such as poultry items, it is sometimes desirable to fry the object in a basket that can be lifted from the pot. An example of this type of "prior art" arrangement is seen in the 1996 Metal Fusion catalog as Model No. 32TPK. For a combination cooking arrangement that includes a burner, pot and liner, the user typically places the poultry item in the basket and lowers it into boiling oil using a bail. In the prior art, bails have often been detachable from the basket so that the user can lower the basket into the pot and the contained boiling oil and then remove the handle or bail therefrom. This allows the user to eliminate the transfer of heat from the basket to the handle during the elongated cooking process.
A number of patents have issued that relate to cooking devices and utensils for use in combination with cooking vessels. The Walker U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,135 provides a utensil assembly and kit including same for cooking vessels used in preparing and supporting combustibles above the bottom of the cooking vessel and away from its inner walls. The utensil kit comprises a base supported above the bottom of the cooking vessel, a plurality of support attachments separately detachable and interchangeably mountable on the base for supporting selected combustible products, and releasable latch mechanism having two parts, one part disposed on the base, and the other part is disposed on each of the support attachments for engaging the base. One of the utensils is a poultry support attachment that fits inside the cavity of a chicken or other poultry enabling it to be positioned upright.
The Rappaport U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,169, discloses a poultry supporting device that sits upon a base in the form of a pan.
A rotisserie cooking arrangement is disclosed in the French Patent 2685862.
A roasting support for fowl is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,642. The apparatus includes a longitudinally extending rod that extends through the center of the turkey having an eyelet at its upper end.
A roaster for poultry and meat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,602. The apparatus includes a vertical roasting apparatus wherein a predetermined amount of liquid for generating the moisture required to produce a high quality and flavorful roasting of the meat is included in a reservoir formed within the support structure itself and disposed internally of the poultry or meat being roasted.
A vertical spit for displaying roasting or warming is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,999.
A combination outdoor cooker and smoker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,154. The apparatus includes a cooker having a gas burner coupled to an external gas source through a control valve by a gas supply conduit.
An Austrian patent 217592 discloses a cooking device that has a central member upon which a turkey or chicken is supported during the cooking operation.
British patent 2205734A discloses a device for use in preparing and cooking kebabs that includes walls which are interconnected to define a tube member and into which a first end wall is slidably received to further reinforce the shape formed by the sidewalls and whose end position is determined by the engagement of lips projecting inwardly from the sidewalls. The sidewalls are appertured longitudinally for receiving a knife to cut food within the tube member.
Recently issued patents to Barbour (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,569 and 5,896,810) disclose a cooking apparatus directed to the frying of poultry items such as turkeys.
A number of patents have issued to Norman R. Bourgeois that disclose burner configurations, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,321, 5,970,852, 6,058,830.
One of the problems with outdoor cookers is the handling of a batch of food once cooked. Items that are cooked in large pots (e.g. 100 quart) inside liners or strainers are very hot when removed. These food items can be very heavy, weighing as much as fifty pounds in some situations, often comprising a large number of crabs, shrimp, etc., or a large turkey as examples. The cooked food items typically drip heated cooking juices, such as seasoned water, or even hot oil. It is desirable that such an outdoor cooking apparatus have stability to support both the pot during cooking and the pot insert (e.g. basket) after cooking is complete.